WiFi Radiation Impact on Children: A Growing Concern for Schools and Homes

From coffee shops to airports and even fast food restaurants, WiFi is everywhere. WiFi in schools has become increasingly popular. And why not? On the surface, using WiFi in schools seems like a terrific idea to help educate our kids. iPads in schools provide a wonderful educational tool — they let students access a wealth of online information via WiFi, participate in citizen science projects, and they reduce the demand for paper resources.

On the other hand, having WiFi in our schools does present concerns for our children’s health that should be addressed. Although the general public may not think of WiFi as a health issue, many in the medical community, industry experts, parents, and advocacy groups are becoming vocal about the possible dangers. Hazards of WiFi for children include fertility issues, erratic heart rates, learning impairment, and behavioral changes.

What Is WiFi Radiation?

WiFi is a form of Radio Frequency (RF) radiation, also called an Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF), which is generated by electronic devices. WiFi devices use radio transceivers capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals. When you use a laptop or tablet, it connects to the Internet via WiFi by transmitting data packets that use radio frequencies operating on either the 2.4-GHz or 5.8-GHz band. 2.4 GHz offers greater range, while 5.8 GHz offers more channels of operation.

It is important to note that electronic devices produce more than one type of radiation. In addition to the RF radiation emitted by WiFi and cellular connections, laptops and other electronic devices also emit Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) radiation from their internal hardware components — such as processors, hard drives, and other electronic parts. Both forms of radiation can be dangerous, and the idea that children use these devices directly on their bodies is particularly worrisome.

EMF exposure damages cellular DNA in the human body, causes oxidative stress, and is known to be harmful to the reproductive systems of both males and females, as well as the brain, heart, and other bodily functions. Its interference with cell growth and communication can lead to noticeable neurological and physiological effects after a long period of exposure. In the short term, EMF radiation has been linked to headaches, disrupted sleep, fatigue, and a greater susceptibility to infection.

Why Children Are Especially Vulnerable

Children are particularly vulnerable to these risks since their tissues are still growing, making them more conductive and susceptible to permanent modifications. This heightened vulnerability is rooted in a simple biological fact: children have higher water content in their tissues than adults, which means electromagnetic radiation penetrates their bodies far more easily.

The numbers are striking. Research, including findings from The Stewart Report, indicates that children absorb up to 60% more energy per kilogram of body weight than adults do. EMFs can actually penetrate bone marrow up to ten times more deeply in children than in adults. Children’s skulls are thinner, their brains are smaller, and their brain tissue is more conductive — meaning WiFi radiation more easily reaches vulnerable organs.

Because cells are actively splitting and multiplying as a child grows, any EMF-related cellular damage compounds over time, developing into permanent biological effects. Exposure to EMF radiation at a young age, or even in the womb, has been linked to many neurological and behavioral disorders like Autism and ADHD, as well as obesity, asthma, and a greater risk of developing cancerous tumors.

So while EMF radiation can be harmful to everyone who comes into prolonged contact with it, kids will show the most adverse health effects.

The Scale of Exposure: Schools and Homes

When children use WiFi-enabled devices in school, the risk compounds rapidly. Students using laptops and tablets simultaneously transmit radio frequency signals to routers or access points throughout the room. Within the confines of a classroom, these high-density transmissions compound to expose students to RF radiation for eight hours a day, which can greatly affect their bodies over time.

Classroom micro-environments where there are many sources of Radio Frequency (RF) radiation are more harmful than a single, isolated RF exposure. Researchers in Belgium and Greece have been studying exactly this problem, positioning dosimeters throughout multiple buildings to measure RF EMF exposure in indoor environments. Their findings revealed that while exposure levels met international limits, exposure was present in at least 75% of indoor microenvironments — and was notably higher during the daytime, driven by increased voice and data traffic on cell phones.

A similar study in Germany in 2011 involved thousands of children and adolescents who carried personal dosimeters over a 24-hour period to measure real-world exposure. Detectable levels were found to be below current recommendation thresholds, and as a result the study was not continued. However, two important caveats stand out: first, the authors themselves conceded that long-term studies are still needed to fully understand cumulative effects; and second, Germany sets government-recommended exposure limits for its citizens — something countries like the US do not do. The absence of such limits in the US means that American children have no regulatory floor protecting them from chronic low-level exposure.

Also in 2011, a paper published in the United States detailed the impact radiation exposure can have on developing fetuses and young children, describing the state of knowledge at the time and underscoring that the risks of exposure are greatest at specific intervals of human development — making early childhood and the prenatal period particularly critical windows of concern.

Exposure does not stop in the classroom, though. A recent report found an unexpected number of middle school students using mobile devices at home, including laptops, smartphones, and tablets. According to the study, nearly two in three (65%) middle school students use a laptop, half (49%) use a smartphone, and more than one in three (36%) use a tablet at home. Separately, studies indicate that as many as 20% of third graders now have their own mobile device. Radiating fields are at their highest intensity at zero-distance — and children are likely using these devices in their laps for long durations at a time.

So what we are seeing is children using mobile WiFi-enabled devices for many hours at a time on a daily basis. This level of exposure is unprecedented for children, and with their tissues and bones still developing, they are particularly vulnerable.

Three factors determine the severity of that risk: intensity of exposure (how close the device or router is to the body), duration of exposure (how many hours per day), and the combination of multiple simultaneous EMF sources (a classroom router, a laptop, and a tablet all active at once). For children moving between a WiFi-saturated school environment and a device-filled home, all three factors are compounding every single day.

WiFi Radiation and Microwave Weaponry: A Disturbing Comparison

To add to the concern, WiFi transmitters emit Electromagnetic Field (EMF) radiation strikingly similar to the microwave radiation used in the design of military microwave weaponry. Barrie Trower, a British physicist and microwave weapons expert who spent much of his career as a member of the Royal British Navy and military intelligence studying the effects of microwave energy on the human body, recently came out of retirement specifically to share his concerns about WiFi in classrooms.

In various interviews and presentations, Mr. Trower delivers a consistent message: WiFi signals are equal to those used in microwave weapons and represent a serious threat to humans, particularly the elderly and children. To illustrate the raw power of concentrated microwave radiation, Trower has noted that he was previously aware of reports of dead birds found in and around communications bases — and on examination, those birds were found to have been cooked by powerful microwave energy oscillating their cells from the inside out.

The parallel to lower-intensity WiFi exposure is sobering. While the emissions from classroom WiFi routers are far less concentrated, they are constant — and duration, as many experts note, may be an even more potent contributing factor to health effects than intensity alone. Trower goes further, stating that in high concentrations and over long periods of time, EMF radiation has been shown to cause cancers, including leukemia — a finding that underscores why chronic, all-day school exposure is viewed by many experts as categorically different from brief, incidental contact with wireless devices.

Experts Cite Health Effects of WiFi, Especially for Children

Trower’s warnings about children extend well beyond the military analogy. When it comes to children and WiFi specifically, Mr. Trower says, “children are physiologically and neurologically immature. It takes years for the blood-brain barrier to form, leaving children more prone to cell-leakage from microwave radiation.” When visiting children in schools, he notes that WiFi radiation exposure is causing health problems that include nausea, headaches, and vision problems. He further states: “Children have less dense bones, immature immune systems and, by virtue of their size, they can act as aerials. Females have more complex hormone-based systems to be disrupted than males.”

Others are equally concerned. Dr. David O. Carpenter, M.D., Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and a recognized Electromagnetic Field (EMF) radiation expert, authored an amended declaration in December 2011 on the biological effects of WiFi radiation on school-age children, submitted on behalf of the plaintiff in Morrison v. Portland Public Schools.

Below is a summary of his declaration to the court:

• “In the context of school development, WiFi exposes building occupants including children and adults constantly from both computers and infrastructure antennas. Duration may be an even more potent contributing factor to RF/MW radiation bioeffects than exposure levels. Chronic, such as all-day, school exposure, is more likely than short and intermittent exposure, such as cell phone use, to produce harmful health effects, and is likely to do so at lower exposure levels.”
• He believes solid scientific evidence clearly demonstrates links between WiFi exposure levels and possible changes in cell membrane function, cell communication, metabolism, activation of proto-oncogenes, and the triggering of the production of stress proteins. These risks occur at exposures below FCC guidelines — the same or lower levels found in school WiFi environments.
• Research has shown that such exposures can cause cell deaths, DNA breaks, chromosome aberrations, cell stress, killed brain neurons, and even premature cell aging.
• Human studies on the health impacts of WiFi radiation have documented “changes in brain function including memory loss, retarded learning, performance impairment in children, headaches and neurodegenerative conditions, melatonin suppression and sleep disorders, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, immune dysregulation such as allergic and inflammatory responses, cardiac and blood pressure problems, genotoxic effects like miscarriage, cancers such as childhood leukemia, childhood and adult brain tumors, and more.”
• Those most vulnerable include children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with preexisting illnesses. Children are especially at risk because of the susceptibility of their still-developing nervous systems.
• Dr. Carpenter notes that the FCC public EMF radiation exposure guidelines are based on the height, weight, and stature of a 6-foot tall man — not children with their unique susceptibility. At early ages, children have a high rate of cellular activity and are at greater risk for DNA damage and subsequent cancers. He also notes, “Growth and development of the central nervous system is still occurring well into the teenage years, such that the neurological impairments predictable by the extent science may have great impact upon development, cognition, learning, and behavior.”
• Studies have shown that when fetuses are exposed to WiFi radiation, there is an increased risk factor for childhood leukemia and a higher incidence of miscarriages.

How To Protect Children from Radiation

Many governments, phone manufacturers, and public health advocates have continued to advise consumers that precautions be taken to avoid undue electromagnetic radiation exposure. The guidance is especially important for children. Here is what experts recommend:

Keep distance from devices. Radiating fields are at their highest intensity at zero-distance. At just one foot away, exposure decreases by 80%. At four feet away from a router or access point, exposure levels and associated health dangers are greatly reduced. When children use laptop computers, tablets, or other electronic devices, they should place them on a desk or table whenever possible, rather than in their laps. Similarly, cell phones should never be held directly against a child’s head or ear during calls — keeping even a small distance makes a meaningful difference.

Turn off signals when not in use. When using a tablet or laptop, always turn off the WiFi and Bluetooth signals when not using the Internet. If these settings are left active, the transmitter will continue to emit radiation even when not connected. Even if you are not actively using a radio signal, your device will actively be searching for one — and emitting EMF — unless the transmitter is disabled in settings.

Consider wired alternatives. Dr. Carpenter recommends wired solutions as opposed to WiFi as a way to safeguard children and maximize learning. Schools can use Ethernet wiring to easily connect to the Internet, and parents can do the same at home. This is one of the most effective steps available, as it eliminates the continuous RF exposure of a WiFi environment entirely.

Use an EMF shield. Consider taking precautions by using an EMF shield on your device and your child’s device. A laptop EMF shield, or an EMF-blocking shield for other mobile devices, can help prevent EMFs from penetrating a young body during the most formative years of their life.

Practice moderation. As with any stressor, moderation and balance are key. When using an iPad or laptop isn’t necessary, don’t use it. Keeping daily screen and device time to a reasonable minimum reduces cumulative exposure meaningfully over time.

Dr. Carpenter believes WiFi radiation is a serious concern and a risk to our children’s health. Children are more susceptible to EMF radiation than adults, and schools are now an EMF-saturated environment. He observes that exposure to EMF has been demonstrated to be harmful even at low intensities and that increasing the constancy and length of exposure — toward a near-24/7 duration in the case of always-on WiFi — puts human health at an even greater risk.

Some experts believe WiFi in our classrooms may be as dangerous as military microwave weaponry. At the very least, we should be aware of the potential dangers and take the steps available to us to protect our children. Make sure that your child, as well as teachers, are aware of the risks of WiFi in schools and at home, and that they take the necessary precautions to reduce them.

There may be no “magic bullet” — but taking the time to think twice before putting WiFi in schools, and taking simple steps to limit daily exposure at home, can be an important investment in the future health of our children. The goal is not to eliminate technology — WiFi and connected devices are valuable tools that are here to stay. The goal is to use them wisely and cautiously, with an awareness of the risks, so that children can benefit from everything technology offers without paying an unnecessary price for it.